The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, has blamed the inability of the Federal Government to release all the funds allocated to the military in its fight against terrorism had continue to further prevent the military from winning the war.
General Musa who spoke on an Arise Television programme said the military did not have enough equipment to fight the terrorists, because year after year not all the funds allocated to defence were released.
He also revealed that some civilians who are conniving with the insurgents and supporting them with supplies had been frustrating the military’s efforts to end the war.
The CDS spoke as a follow-up to his visit to the Kaduna community where villagers were “mistakenly” bombed by the Army on Sunday night, leaving no fewer than 90 persons dead and many others injured.
Speaking on the rising defence budget and the raging insecurity, he said there was a difference between what was budgeted and what was released.
The CDS stated, “In the past, you heard large sums of money approved for the military but the question is, how much do we get? That is very important. Also, we don’t manufacture any of the items we use; we buy them in dollars. If you look at the amount released and you convert to dollars, how much is it?
“For instance, the $1bn released in the past, the 12 Tucano (fighter) jets that were bought cost over $600m. How much do you buy MRAP (Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle), Armoured Personnel Carrier, tanks, ships, aircraft, so you find out that the money released, when you convert them to dollars, you are not even getting much. Every piece of ammunition we buy is in foreign currency and we buy them in billions because we use them quickly.
“Yes, we cannot get all we need; no country does. The President (Bola Tinubu) has signed the bill for DICON (Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria). We must produce what we need. Even with your money, you cannot buy most of the equipment you need off the shelf. You have to order for them and wait before you get them and that takes time. It is when the industrial complex comes on stream and we start producing what we need, it will be a lot better for us. We will continue to move, and as much as we get equipment, we will continue pushing.”
Speaking further on how connivance by some Nigerians had undermined the efforts of the military, he stated, “We appeal to all Nigerians to cooperate. Security is everybody’s responsibility. I give you my challenge while in the North-East; in some places you find out that there are people even supporting them (the terrorists), giving them equipment and food. Every day, we fight them to stop taking to them fertilizer, urea and things that could make them fix Improvised Explosive Devices. It’s a challenge.
“We have Nigerians that are also doing so much to trade with them; carrying fuel and food to them. If we all pull together and stop this thing, they will not survive. So, it’s a holistic thing and not only for the armed forces alone. This is not an armed forces war; this is a Nigerian war, and I want Nigerians to take ownership of it.”